This invention relates broadly to traction tables for treating patients with back injuries or other back problems including posture deficiencies. More particularly, the invention is directed toward traction tables that are manually operated by the patient while the patient is undergoing treatment.
The prior art traction devices include those in which the patient rests on a flat support surface while a weight attached to the patient's legs applies the traction force. Such devices include complex apparatus for attaching the weights to the patient, including pulley and cable structures. Such devices are particularly cumbersome when used on an out-patient basis in the home. Additionally, the patient while being treated, is unable to adjust the tension in accordance with his individual needs.
Tilting traction tables that utilize the patient's weight to apply the tension are also known in the prior art. Typically, in such devices, the patient reclines on a flat support surface and is secured to the table about the ankles and/or waist. Such traction devices tend to apply undesirable pressure to the patient's legs as opposed to the application of the needed tension to the back area.
The present invention overcomes problems associated with the prior art in that it is a truncated traction table having a platform with a surface for supporting a patient from the knees upward while the patient's legs hang over the end of the platform. The patient is restrained on the table in part by the action of the back side of the knees gripping the platform end. The knees and thighs are slightly raised from the platform surface to relieve pressure on the thighs. The angular tilt of the apparatus is easily regulated by the patient during treatment to control the tension applied.